Tips on Navigating Loneliness on Valentines Day and beyond

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Valentines Day seems to get a mixed reaction in Australia…there are those who embrace it, those who denounce it and those who take little notice. But whatever their stance on it, for the millions of single people in Australia it is hard to ignore … with the florists full of red roses, socials full of gushy posts, and TV ads full of gifts for ‘the one you love’.

For those who are single or lonely, it can be a triggering time…some of us are mourning a deceased partner, some are in anguish over the breakdown of a marriage or intimate relationship while others are grieving for the loving partner we’ve never had.

So how do we get through this and any other lonely days of the year? In this topic we’re inviting our online community to share tips on coping with and overcoming loneliness.

Let’s start off with a couple of activities from the Griefline toolbox…

Recover from Rejection
Lonely people often hold back from reaching out to others or taking a chance on meeting someone new. We forget that rejection is a part of everyone’s
life, not just yours. Give this exercise a go to help you learn from your rejections, recover from them and move on with your life.

Take some time to identify times when you were rejected …and what you learned from that situation.

1. Situation in Which I Felt I was Rejected eg. I met someone at the pub.
2. What Happened – eg. I asked the person out on a date and was laughed at.
3. What I Learned – eg. not everyone will connect with me, nor I with them. And that’s okay.

Identify Like-Minded Interests
This exercise helps you to identify your interests and how these can help you to meet new people. A shared interest can help you overcome your feelings of loneliness.

Create 3 columns on a page and fill in as many interests as you can…
1. My Interests eg. Walking
2. Why I am Passionate About this Interest eg. keep fit, fresh air, see others in my area
3. How I Can Engage in this Interest with Others eg. join the local walking club

(from the ‘Coping with loneliness workbook’ by Leutenberg & Liptak (2014).

So over to you…what tips and strategies do our community members use/have you heard of to help to overcome loneliness…🌸

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